History

THE NEW ROVER 75 - ONE OF BRITAIN'S FINE CARS


The new Rover 75, a luxury saloon car of character and individuality, made its world debut at the British International Motor Show in October 1998. The new Rover 75 is the first Rover to be designed wholly 'in house' for over two decades and has been created at Rover Group's Design and Engineering Centre at Gaydon in Warwickshire. It will be built at a new facility within Rover Group's Oxford plant and will be on sale from March 1999.

The Rover 75 combines modern aesthetics and technology within classic proportions. Its elegance recalls Rovers of the past with careful design detailing and elegant styling both inside and out, all hallmarks of this great British brand.

Examples on Rover 75 include the use of chrome on the aerodynamic door mirrors, bumper and bodyside inserts and the sill finisher, along with the rear number plate surround that is actually a spoiler - a component with a real aerodynamic purpose. Inside, materials such as chrome, soft leather and real wood are used as an integral part of the design.

REFINEMENT - IN EVERY WAY
Attention to detail, coupled with creativity and engineering integrity, has created one of the most refined cars in the world. Rover 75 is designed with a single goal, to take the stress out of driving and put the pleasure back into motoring.

The car is 4.75 metres long. It is large enough to accommodate four adults in extreme comfort, yet compact enough to retain rewarding manoeuvrability for today's crowded roads. By providing a supremely refined and effortless motoring experience, Rover 75 redefines 'travelling in style', delivering advanced levels of comfort, safety, security, performance and reliability.

ELEGANCE AND PURITY
The exterior design is outstanding from every angle and the inferred solidity inspired the engineering team to emulate its looks in the car's dynamic performance. Rover 75's purity comes from being designed by one man with one vision; for Richard Woolley, Studio Director - Rover Cars Design, there was only ever one Rover 75.

STRIKING INTERIOR
The striking interior design has a tangible solidity which stems from the use of traditional materials in a very contemporary way. Cool chrome, soft leather and real wood are used as an integral part of the design, not as an afterthought.

An integrated telephone, a choice of two navigation systems, a 'concert hall' audio system and fully automatic air conditioning are just some of the features that will be available in Rover 75.

The instruments are particularly striking in both their design and execution. They deliver precise information through careful use of graphics against the traditional champagne background colour and are sofly back-lit in orange at night.

The steering wheel is adjustable for both height and reach and the seats, although capable of carrying five in comfort, are designed to reflect the style of a four seat grand tourer.

LEADING EDGE BODY DESIGN TECHNOLOGY
The development of Rover 75 made full use of leading edge technology to provide a new level of body rigidity - over 2.5 times that of Rover 600. 40% of the body is constructed from high strength steels of new formulation.

Eliminating body distortion allows precise and consistent suspension geometry and lasting freedom from squeaks and rattles. It dramatically improves refinement and produces an impact resistant passenger compartment surrounded by energy absorbing zones for increased crash protection.

A great deal of attention has also been paid to the science of insulation and the suppression of wind, road and engine noise. The combined strengths of Rover and BMW acoustics engineers have created a car that will lead its class in interior noise quality.

INTUITIVE DRIVING PLEASURE
Intuitive driving pleasure comes from controls that fall easily to hand, excellent visibility and constant but unobtrusive feedback.

The dashboard layout ensures that controls fall easily to hand and all switches have a reassuringly solid feel. The driver's seat is height adjustable and includes a lumbar support feature. Electric windows, powered and heated door mirrors and an extremely efficient heating and ventilation system all add to driving pleasure.

But it is in the chassis design and dynamic control that the car becomes really engaging for driver and passengers. The front suspension is by MacPherson struts mounted on a perimeter frame, resulting in impressive levels of isolation and refinement which will redefine the class.

At the rear, a subframe mounted Z-axle ensures precise control and contributes to sharp, yet predictable, handling and a smooth, supple ride.

The all-disc brake system features the latest generation 4-sensor ABS and Electronic Brake force Distribution (EBD) maximises rear brake efficiency under all road and load conditions.

V6 QUAD CAM 24 VALVE PETROL ENGINES
Four engines make up the range for Rover 75, the petrol engines coming from the highly acclaimed K-series modular family. Most significant are the KV6 Quad Cam 24 valve engines available in both 2.0 litre and 2.5 litre displacements. The KV6 evolution engines have seen major investment and development for Rover 75 with many components being redesigned or new.

The 2.0 litre capacity unit is new for Rover 75, offering smooth power delivery and exceptional refinement. It develops 150Ps at 6500 RPM with 185Nm of torque. The 2.5 litre version delivers 177Ps and 240Nm.

The third engine in the line-up is the 1.8 litre four cylinder variant of K-Series, already well established as one of the world's greatest four cylinder engines. In Rover 75 it develops 120Ps and 160Nm of torque.

STATE OF THE ART 2.0 LITRE DIESEL
The fourth engine in the Rover 75 stable is the first application of BMW Group's latest generation 2.0 litre diesel with the revolutionary common rail fuel system - the 2.0 litre CDT. It develops 116Ps at 4000 RPM and 260Nm of torque at 2000 RPM. Using the Bosch system, fuel is delivered by a high pressure pump feeding a joint pressure chamber (common rail).

ELECTRONICALLY AUTOMATIC
With each engine comes the choice of state of the art gearboxes - automatic or manual.
The fully electronic JATCO automatic gearbox offers a range of driver selectable and adaptive shift modes. The gearbox enables the driver to match his or her driving mood to suit the conditions - it knows when it is towing or climbing hills and tells the engine when it is going down hill so that engine braking can be made available. The traction control system ensures precise control over the power to the road wheels under all conditions.

The GETRAG five-speed manual gearbox is also a new development offering slick change quality and excellent refinement.

ELECTRONIC ARCHITECTURE
Engineering innovation in Rover 75 is most evident in the car's electrical system. The electrical circuitry is highly multiplexed using proven BMW architecture. The integration of conventional electrical systems into the central network system improves reliability and opens up a new world of customer or market configurable features such as locking/unlocking logic, customised wash/wipe procedures, lazy locking and even daytime running lights.

SAFE AND SECURE
Rover 75's structure has been designed to provide the optimum performance in crash situations. Coupled with chassis dynamics that provide predictable behaviour and excellent primary safety, the secondary systems ensure compliance with all known current and expected worldwide safety regulations.

Seat belt pre-tensioners, driver and passenger airbags, thorax protecting side airbags and three position belts with a head restraint at all five seat positions are standard on all models. Further head protection from Front Inflatable Tubular Structure airbags is available as an option.

As is the tradition with Rover products, a robust alarm and immobiliser are fitted as standard on all versions of Rover 75. The key barrel is of the freewheeling type and locks are cable, rather than rod, operated. Remote locking is via a radio frequency system and incorporates superlocking on all doors.

THE RANGE STRUCTURE
The Rover 75 comprises a range of cars which offers its customers the option of creating the exact car of their choice. By combining engine, trim level, options and accessory packs, the car can be tailored to any personal preference or lifestyle.

Full details of the appointments, options and accessories will be available early in 1999 but the following outline gives a clear guide to the choice that is available:
4 advanced engines - 1.8, 2.0 and 2.5 petrol and 2.0 diesel
5 speed manual or 5 speed electronic automatic with all engines
3 levels of appointment
17 exterior colours
5 interior colour schemes
Over 20 factory fit options and over 100 dealer supplied accessories

Standard and optional equipment will include:

Air conditioning (manual and fully automatic)
Anti lock brakes
Cruise control
Electronic Brake Distribution (EBD)
Traction control
Front/side and head protection airbags
Integrated telephone
Choice of two levels of navigation systems
Leather upholstery
Eight different alloy wheel styles
Heated washer jets and headlamp cleaning
Folding rear seat
Heated seats
A range of audio systems

AVAILABILITY AND POSITIONING
Rover 75 will commence deliveries in the Spring of 1999 and will be available across all established and more recently developed Rover Cars markets. Full details will be announced early in 1999.

Rover 75 is positioned as a luxurious British saloon competing against cars such as Audi A4, Alfa Romeo 156 and the Mercedes C Class. It will join the BMW 3 Series to conquest the quality car market.

Final pricing is yet to be confirmed but will start at around £19,000 in the UK.

The Rover 75's style and character will win custom from a wide variety of products and sectors. These will range from those trading up from a highline mainstream product such as Mondeo and Vectra to those moving from existing premium upper medium products such as Audi A4 and the C Class as well as those changing from established executive competitors such as Vauxhall/Opel Omega, Renault Safrane and the Audi A6.